Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl
by fandom-duty-honor
Summary: The first time it happened it was an accident. When was the last time she had seen him face to face? Years at least. They had been arguing over something, finances, college, the future. It was somewhere amidst their yelling that she found herself pulling his mouth towards hers. Spitfire. Slight AU.


**Alright this is the request for Kamil the Awesome, who has some good stuff you should check out. I have another request I'm working on and the next chappy of Shop Girl. I tried writing this in a bit of a different style than usual, but I think it fell apart around the middle haha! Please enjoy :D**

**Request: "team finds out that Wally and Artemis, who hate each other, have been sleeping together. If you know what I mean..."(hope this is close enough!)**

**Summary: Slight AU with Artemis no longer being a member of the team because drama.**

* * *

The first time it happened it was an accident. They were both going after the same target, Wally looking to peacefully detain the suspect, Artemis hoping to receive her next paycheck. Things had gone wrong though, and somehow her position had been compromised. Guns were fired in her direction, but she wasn't that concerned until a flash of yellow picked her up and carried her to safety. She would have gotten away without him recognizing her if she hadn't said it.

"Wally! Put me down, I can handle myself!"

She used to say it all the time when she was one the team before she had gone off on her own. That was when he looked down to find her blue-green eyes hidden behind makeup and a tiger mask. He almost dropped her, but she instinctively clung to him until he placed her safely behind a building.

"Just...stay here. I'll be right back."

Hell broke loose when he returned. They were yelling and hurling insults. She shouldn't have taken off without a word to him. He should have been acting like an adult, not a child. How could she be freelance now? Why was he still stuck in the same sidekick gig he had held for years? It was ugly.

When was the last time she had seen him face to face? Years at least. They had been arguing over something, finances, college, the future. After hours of yelling Artemis had simply walked out the door and hadn't seen him since. Now here he was. Same freckles, same eyes, same hair, but he was tall. Much taller than he had been all those years ago. She had changed, too. Her hair was shorter, and her formerly slender frame had been filled with muscle.

It was somewhere amidst their yelling that she found herself pulling his mouth towards hers. Wally seemed to read her thought as he instantly puller her towards him. The kiss was just as she had remembered, soft and simple, but it soon gave way to the heat and passion that could only come from the two of them.

Within minutes they were in her bedroom, hands clawing at one another. It was one of the few downside to being a hero, the suits never came off as quickly as she wanted. There was a ripping sound and a rush of cold as air met her newly exposed chest. From there, there was no point being careful. Suits and masks were ripped as they fell onto her bed, his weight crushing her in a familiar way. His hand slid up her form to bring her face towards his once again.

"Just so you know..." Her voice was barely audible against his breathing. "I'm still angry with you."

They didn't speak for the rest of the night. Only grunts and moans could be heard between the quiet squeaks of her bed frame. Each thrust of his hips felt better than the last, each kiss sloppier, and scratch deeper. It was a feeling she had missed for so many years. It wasn't until he pinned her arms behind her head that she realized just what she had been missing with other partners.

"Still...Hate you..." he grunted between thrusts.

"Shut up."

Chemistry.

After that it became somewhat regular. Artemis started taking more jobs out near Central and Keystone. They would exchange banter, putting up fake fights for the news and the rest of the team, but each time she would get away before they'd meet up again for the night. She'd sneak out while he slept or showered to avoid the awkward goodbyes, stopping for coffee on her way back to her car or hotel room. It was a system , and it was a good one.

They must have gotten sloppy, though. Somehow she got tangled up with both a drug cartel and the Young Justice team in one fight. Despite not being in the cartel, she was still an assassin, and therefore, an opponent. Sure she saw the thug trying to sneak up on Wally, what she didn't see was Nightwing watching them like the bird he really was. It must have been the banter, or how their fighting was more playful. Either way, once all the cartel was rounded up, she somehow found herself hauled up to the Watchtower for questioning. Besides, Tigress was on their Watch List. When was the next chance they'd get to bring her in peacefully?

Nightwing and Aqualad stood against the wall opposite of Wally and Artemis. All masks and weapons had been removed. The air felt less like an interrogation and more of a very tense reunion.

"How long?" Dick asked. His tones held no amusement, a true testament to how much he had matured since moving to Blüdhaven.

"It the rest of the team on the other side of the glass?" Artemis looked towards the two way mirror, certain that all of her former team mates were standing there watching the drama unfold.

"Yes. How long has this been going on?"

"Couple months," Wally responded. He looked at his two friends the whole time, pretending as if she wasn't right beside him. "The case down in Gotham."

"And each time after that?" Kal asked. He had been silent since they had arrived, probably uncertain if she should be allowed in the Watchtower. Both Wally and Artemis nodded, never breaking eye contact with their questioners.

"So you've been dating an assassin for 5 months." It wasn't a question. Nightwing opted to state the obvious, as was his nature.

"It's just sex. We fight criminals, have sex, and leave."

"That's how it starts out, but what about when your history catches up with you? The two of you can't just have sex."

"You're one to talk," Artemis replied, but he had a point. Sooner or later she was going to start falling for him again. Everything bad that happened between them would come rushing back. The fights, the yelling, the anxiety. But with the bad stuff came the good. The kisses, the jokes, the everything.

"This is about the two of you." Aqualad clearly didn't want to be having this conversation. "This is about a potential Justice League member fraternizing with a known assassin."

"What do you want me to do? Turn over a new leaf and join the team again?"

"Wouldn't hurt," Dick stated, but they both knew the truth.

"I have people I need to watch over, and I can't do that if I'm watching over the entire planet for the JLA."

"People to watch over or people to kill?"

"I wasn't at the warehouse to kill. I was going to track the drugs, work my way up the chain. Thanks for ruining that by the way." The last statement she directed towards the man beside her. He finally turned his head to look at her. His expression was blank before a soft smirk formed.

"I'll make it up to you."

"Well I think that ends this conversation." Both turned back to look at Nightwing and Aqualad, the former looking a bit more amused than the latter. "So, I think it's time for me to go."

"I'm afraid we can't let you leave on your own," Kal answered. "One of us will have to escort you."

"You know what?" Wally shot his friends a mischievous grin. "Why don't I?"

"You're not coming over to my place after this."

"Oh, something tells me I am."

He walked her to the Zeta Tubes, and Artemis could feel eyes on her back. She glanced over her shoulder to see her former team - some with smiles, others looking concerned - watching her walk away for the second time. It was for the best.

That night Wally didn't leave right after as he usually did. Instead of a night of their typical silent sex, it was something different. Not quite love making, but considerably more intimate than it had been. After finishing, Wally kept a hold of Artemis's hand throughout the night, lightly tracing fingertips along hers as they lied in the dark.

"I missed you," he mumbled, not meeting her eye.

"I know."


End file.
